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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chest — a box
  4. last — final
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. last — finally
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stock — goods
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. last — to go on
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lean — thin
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stock — shares
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ball — a great time
  24. lash — a whip stroke

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com